OMG! You've Got Cancer

While I am sure this is well-intentioned, and he does offer a maximum of three (including the initial consultation) house calls in his practice, does Dr. Jay Parkinson's practice go a little over the top? Certainly the price isn't bad.

Parkinson's medical practice combines quaint house calls of yore with decidedly 21st-century technology. For a yearly fee of $500, Parkinson makes an initial visit to his patients in their apartments and offers two additional visits as needed. But he is available to them any time between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. weekdays for unlimited consultation on IM or e-mail.

Parkinson uses web-based Life Record to keep his medical records. He can access them on his iPhone if, say, he's out to dinner and a patient needs a prescription refill. At home, he's parked in front of a MacBook.

When his patients need lab work or specialists, Parkinson refers them to a network of low-cost providers. "I've been very sneaky in the last three months, calling up 2,000 doctors and facilities in the area and asking how much they charge," he says.

We're sure he wouldn't simple IM back the subject line of this post, as that would be extremely poor bedside manner. Or would he?